There’s no arguing the so-called wizard of the Wing T, San Dimas High School coach Bill Zernickow, is one of the best coaches in the Valley.

When San Dimas was knocked out in the second round of the 2008 CIF-SS Mid-Valley Division playoffs in 59-22 loss to Rosemead, the Saints were expected to fall off the map with a bulk of that team graduating.

All they did was revamp their defense and win the Mid-Valley title a year later.

There weren’t big expectations on paper in 2010 and ’11 either, but Zernickow and Co., advanced to back-to-back divisional semifinals.

Last year’s semifinal appearance was more impressive considering the Saints never played a home game while their stadium was under construction. And they still finished 10-3.

So when the normally pessimistic Zernickow sounds even a tad optimistic about an upcoming season, Saints fans have reason to be excited.

“I look forward to this year of San Dimas football,” Zernickow said. “We will be opening our new stadium Aug. 31 against Azusa and hopefully we can host a game in December there.”

With defending league champion Covina graduating a bulk of its starters, it appears San Dimas is the odds-on favorite to win the title, especially with its new stadium and field turf.

“I expect our senior defensive leaders to step in and control the opponents until the young guys can mature,” Zernickow said. “Offensively, we have a very good skill level, so we will be able to score comparable to years past. Our offensive line will be young but we will push them to mature quickly.”

If recent history has proved anything when it comes to San Dimas, when its defense is up to par the Saints mean business because they can score in Zernickow’s high-powered running game.

The Saints return two of their best rushers. Junior Jake Payton, a running back and defensive back, was the teams’ second-leading rusher as a sophomore with 893 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Saints also bring back senior Andrew Espinoza, a running back and defensive back. Espinoza rushed for 331 yards on just 33 carries.

Senior Cody McNeal, a wide receiver and defensive back, was the Saints’ top wideout last season with 16 receptions for 344 yards and five touchdowns.

McNeal will be working with a new quarterback in junior Josh Avila, who replaces Shawn Kennedy.

The Saints also hope two-way players Mitchell Giles (running back/linebacker) and Denzell Mitchell (RB/LB) add to what they already have coming back.

“We expect to get better each and every week so that we can be playing our best football toward the end of the season,” Zernickow said. “If we want to a have a deep playoff run we need to make sure we win the Valle Vista League first.”